


Eye of Ender

by Tashaliv3



Category: Achievement Hunter, Ender Eye au - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Rooster Teeth
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 20:41:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10395654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tashaliv3/pseuds/Tashaliv3
Summary: Inspired by: http://samijen.tumblr.com/eeauWhat would happen if Ryan was shot in the eye, and he replaced it with an Eye of Ender?Would it drive The Mad King even further into darkness? Let's find out together!





	1. Eye of Ender

“Ryan took a pretty hard hit.”  
“It can’t be that bad! We’ve all taken a lot of hits over the years, remember when Ray was here?”  
Jeremy and Michael were sitting on the outskirts of Achievement City keeping watch and waiting for news on Ryan.   
“I remember hearing about that Ray thing, what happened exactly?”  
“We don’t really talk about it much, but it’s the reason he left.” Michael stared wistfully at the sky remembering his old friend. He pulled his sword from its sheath along with his whetstone and began polishing and sharpening his weapon.   
Jeremy leaned back against an oak tree, his head tilting toward Achievement City, a look of worry flashing across his face. “I’m going to go check on Jack he seemed pretty shaken up.” Jeremy stood patting Michael on the back, two quick taps. He made his way over to Ryan’s house where they had set up a makeshift hospital. 

Jack opened the door as Jeremy reached for the knob. “He hasn’t woken up yet?” Jeremy leaned to look around Jack into the house.   
“No he’s still out, we’re trying to save the eye.”  
“Save the…”  
“The arrow hit him directly in the right eye. Geoff and Lindsay are trying to save his eye right now, they just uh...needed more water.” Jack raised the bucket and turned toward the bridge leading away from Achievement City. 

Jeremy’s head dropped, his chin resting on his chest, he made his way back to Michael.   
“It’s bad, isn’t it?”  
Jeremy didn’t say anything. He just leaned back against the tree quietly, shutting his eyes. Michael looked at Jeremy for a moment, silently, before returning to his sword. Anger rolling through his veins. 

Jack crossed back over the bridge a second pail joining the first, filled to the brim with fresh water. Water reflecting the midnight sky.   
He entered Ryan’s house, placing the buckets down and moving to stand at the foot of the bed, staring down at one of his best friends. Ryan may be crazy, but that didn’t change much about their friendship. The false peaceful tranquility in the room only momentarily interrupted by the quiet mooing, clucking, and oinking of Ryan’s pets. 

“How’s he doing?”   
Lindsay looked up from the wound she had been tending to, as Geoff began the task of extracting the arrow from Ryan’s eye. “He’s stable for right now, I’m just worried about, well, you know.” She nodded in the direction of his eyes. “I don’t think we’ll be able to save it, and what’s worse, is he might not live through getting the arrow removed.” 

Geoff, remained silent, and began removing the arrow slowly. Jack turned around unable to watch the gruesome sight before him.   
“Jack, could you get more..” Lindsay looked up, her gaze meeting Jack’s back. “Uh, could you go out and get me more Blaze Powder and Ghast Tears?”  
Jack nodded without turning around, “for strength and regeneration…..right?”   
“Yeah, we might be able to get him back up to full strength, and fully healed.” Lindsay continued.  
“Fully healed,” Geoff spoke up, “Minus an eye…”

The room fell silent once again. Jack opened the door silently grabbing his diamond sword, bow and arrow, and a small bag filled with pork chops and fire resistant potions. He stepped out of Ryan’s home and barreled into a squawking Gavin.   
“Oi, you about knocked me on my arse.” Gavin dusted himself off and took in Jack with his sword attached to his him and his bow strapped to his back. “Where are you off to?” Gavin questioned curiously.   
“They need more stuff to help Ryan.” Jack hitched his pack up a little higher, “it’s looking pretty bad right now.”   
“What do they need, where do they need me?”  
Jack shrugged and pointed to where Jeremy and Michael sat, staring at the night sky, “I’m going to go grab the other guys and head into the nether, you can either join us or go in and see if Geoff and Lindsay need anymore hands.”  
Gavin peeked through the window on the closed door and backed away from it ever so slightly, “I’ll head into the nether with you lot.”   
“Grab your gear, I’ll meet you with the rest of the guys.”  
Gavin nodded before turning away and running into his house.

Jack made his way up to Michael and Jeremy. He nodded at the two as he approached. “Guys, we have to head into the nether, they need more supplies.”   
Jeremy nodded and stood, pulling his gear from where he stowed it among the branches of the trees. Michael gripped his equipment a little tighter, continuing his work. He shook his head and glanced up at Jack. “I’m going to head down and check on Lindsay and Geoff. See if I can help Ryan from here.” He finished filing his sword and stood, making his way toward Ryan’s house. “He’s going to lose his eye isn’t he?” Michael questioned quietly, stopping just before cresting the opposite side of the hill.  
Jack sighed quietly, and Michael shook his head silently before continuing on.   
“Tell Gavin we’re up here waiting for him if you see him.”  
Michael raised his arm up waving back wordlessly. He made his way back into town and met up with Gavin just inside the city limits. “They’re waiting by the oak tree, just outside of town, I’d hurry.”  
Gavin merely nodded placing his hand on Michael’s shoulder in silent solidarity. 

Michael smiled gravely a single tear making its way down his cheek before he calmly brushed it away and made his way into Ryan’s house.  
Lindsay looked up from the laceration she was stitching up as Michael made his way inside, patting Prince Oinkins 1st on the head.   
“I came to help, where do you need me?”   
Geoff glanced toward Michael momentarily before returning to Ryan’s eye. He had removed the arrow, and had moved focus to salvaging what was the remainder of the eye.  
“You can start working on his chest, we’ll need to clean those wounds as well” Lindsay smiled in his direction and directed him to the water and towels to begin cleaning and bandaging. 

“Thanks hun.” Michael walked over and grabbed the materials before sitting next to Lindsay and starting on one of the worst on Ryan’s abdomen. The three worked in silence for a while before Geoff growled in anger.   
“I can’t fix this,” Geoff barked turning and striking the dirt wall of Ryan’s home.  
“Hey,” Ryan’s quiet voice filled the almost silent room, “my house is made of dirt, you’re going to knock it down if you keep at it.”  
Lindsay made a delighted sound as she looked up at him, “you’re awake!”  
Ryan winced slightly, and took Lindsay’s hand gently. “Of course I am, did you honestly think that a damned skeleton could keep me down?”  
“We’re doing everything we can to save your eye but,” Geoff shook his head angrily, “I don’t think we’ll be able to do it.”   
Ryan was quiet a moment before laughing, his deep laugh filling the room. “Take the damn thing out. Who needs two eyes?” He shook his head still chuckling, “I don’t need two eyes, I’m alive!”   
“You are alive, but Ryan….” Geoff began again.  
“Geoff, it’s okay.” Ryan smiled tightly, “I don’t need the eye, trust me.”  
Geoff nodded, but remained silent. 

Lindsay reached into the chest behind her, pulling out a potion of slowness, “Ryan drink this, hopefully it’ll help you go back to sleep.”   
Ryan smiled taking the bottle. “Bottoms up.” He swallowed it down and let it overtake his body. His breathing slowed, his heart slowed, and finally his eyes drooped shut.   
Geoff opened the damaged eye and began to poke around with his small knife. “I’m going to remove his eye now.”   
Michael and Lindsay shared a quick look, just before Michael stood up and left the house momentarily.   
“Where is he going?” Geoff asked curiously.  
“To get something for Ryan, something he’ll need.”  
Michael returned a few minutes later with a glass jar filled with a strange fluid.   
“What is that?” Geoff stared at Michael’s hands for a moment.  
“He’s not okay with losing the eye, he’s freaked out,” Michael started before taking a deep breath, “He’ll never be okay with it, but I’m hoping if we put it in here, it might make it better.”  
Geoff nodded before turning his full attention to Ryan’s severely damaged right eye. 

The trio worked carefully for what felt like hours. The others returned just as Geoff removed what was left of Ryan’s eye and placed it into the jar beside his bed. He began cleaning as Gavin and Jeremy entered the small house carrying everything needed to make potions of healing and regeneration.

“How is he?” Jeremy asked before taking a cautious step toward the bed. “Has he woken up at all?”  
“He woke up a little while ago,” Michael murmured, finishing up a few final stitches on Ryan’s stomach, “he was bummed about his eye, but you know Ryan, played it off.”  
Jeremy and Gavin nodded, “we’ll get started on the potions for him.” Gavin gathered the materials and approached the brewing stand. He began brewing adding the ingredients as necessary. “We’re idiots, we should have had his back better.”  
Jeremy’s head jerked up, his eyes meeting Michaels, “we didn’t have good visuals where we were, no one could have seen this coming.”  
Gavin shook his head, “we’ve been planning for this raid for months now, we should have been in and out, how did we get surrounded?!”  
Michael dropped his tools into the empty water bucket, “the blaze spawner exploded and we got overwhelmed. It could have happened to any one of us, Ryan was just in the middle of everything.”

Gavin shook his head but went back to work. Jack came through the door with cooked meat and mushroom stew. “I thought you guys could use some food….” Jack looked around at everyone before finally training his eyes on Ryan. “Has he woken up yet?”  
“Yeah he was up for a bit, we finally got his eye out and he’s finally all bandaged up.” Geoff responded quietly.   
Jack began handing out meals and sat in the corner closest to Ryan’s head, placing a bowl of mushroom stew on the table nearest him. “For when Ryan wakes up.” Everyone nodded encouragingly before digging into their meals, Gavin continuously checking the potions and taking bites in between. 

“Oh, we ran into a few Enderman while we were out.” Jeremy spoke between bites. “We ended up with like eight Ender Pearls.”   
“Yeah, we can probably find a stronghold at some point.”   
“Not in Achievement City, there’s never been a recorded stronghold here.” Gavin spoke up.   
“Maybe not right in the heart of Achievement City, but there’s been a few discoveries of fresh land just outside our walls.” Geoff nodded toward the south. “We might find one out that way.”  
“We should go out when Ryan is feeling better, if we find one, he can break ground on it.” Jack laughed, “he’d love that.”   
Jeremy pulled out the satchel of Ender Pearls and shook it, causing them to rattle gently, the bag glowing a deep teal. “Maybe we should leave him one, he’ll be pissed when he wakes up and learns he missed not one, not two, but eight Endermen.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. They finished their meals and started their clean up. Geoff wiped off Ryan’s face and placed an Ender Pearl in the chest by the door, near the top so Ryan would see it when he first opened it up.  
“His potions are ready, we should probably give him a couple tonight, just to get the healing started.” Gavin stood and handed Lindsay the two potions.   
She opened the potion bottles and fed the liquid into Ryan’s mouth, with Michael and Gavin holding him up, allowing him to swallow.   
“He should wake up in a few hours, if everyone is up for it, we can hang in here in shifts. So when he wakes up he isn’t alone and he’ll be able to get the potions down.” Lindsay said as she wiped her hands on a small rag near the bed.   
“Sounds like a plan, I’ll take the first shift.” Geoff took a seat next to the bed. “He’ll probably be confused and disoriented when he wakes up.” Geoff strapped an eyepatch to Ryan's head, covering the wound. 

Everyone murmured in agreement and headed toward their own homes, hoping that their friend would be okay.  
Jeremy stopped Michael before they split ways in the middle of the star, “we need to tell them what happened with Ryan…”   
Michael stopped him by raising his hand, “Ryan already lost an eye, he doesn’t need anymore negativity after that.”  
Jeremy remained silent as Michael turned away and met up with Lindsay, kissing her forehead before entering their house.


	2. Eye of Ender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flash back to The Nether.

Ryan could hear the explosion from where he stood trying to relight the nether portal. Could hear Gavin and Jack choking from the smoke and the relentless firing of Blazes as they surrounded his friends. 

“Ryan! Ryan the Blaze spawner blew! We need to get out of here now!” Michael yelled to him from his lookout point in the highest tower of the Nether Fortress. From where Michael was standing he could see the skeletons and Zombie Pigmen approaching Ryan from behind and he turned to open fire. “Ryan, move!” 

Ryan turned and faced the enemies coming at him head on. He pulled his damaged diamond sword from it’s sheath at his hip and swung at the nearest enemy. A Pigman moved to flank him, it’s rotting flesh falling in thin clumps around it’s feet as it shambled quickly in his direction. Ryan grinned turning and slicing the offender in half breaking his sword in the process. His grin quickly turned into a grimace when he reached for his quiver only to realize he only had four arrows remaining. “Michael I….” He turned towards the tower as an arrow whizzed past him, mere millimeters from his head. “Dammit Michael! You’ll put an eye out!” 

Ryan took off at a dead run, heading towards the entrance to the Nether Fortress. As he neared the hole that the others had knocked into the wall to enter he came face to face with a Wither Skeleton. It brought it’s blade down and Ryan ducked narrowly escaping the strike. 

Ryan spotted Gavin with Jack at his back quickly dispensing of the Blazes surrounding them, their golden swords gleaming in the lava light. He waved his arms frantically trying to get Gavin’s attention and when the Brit finally glanced his way he called out, “I need a weapon, literally anything will do.” A whoosh sounded as the Wither Skeleton continued to advance on him swinging it’s sword. Gavin tossed him what was left of an iron sword, he turned striking out against the skeleton, it’s head bouncing across the floor as he cleaved it from the creatures body. 

“Damn, this could not have gone worse”, he fought his way through the Blazes surrounding Jack and Gav, the trio making quick work of the enemies endlessly bombarding them. 

With the last Blaze twitching in it’s death throes on the Nether floor Jack clapped Ryan on the back, “what do you mean? I thought it went great!” His booming laugh now echoing off of the Nether Fortress walls, quickly turning to haggard coughing. “Damn, those things put off a ton of smoke.” Jack kicked a Blaze corpse before stepping over it and heading in the direction of Jeremy and Michael. 

“Hey Ryan,” Gavin opened his bag and began rooting through it, dropping miscellaneous items on the ground. 

“I think I have some more diamond in my bag if you still need a new weapon.” Gavin wasn’t always the most helpful but when his friends were in trouble or needed something, he always seemed to have the tools necessary, usually without even noticing.

“Thanks Gavin, I could do with a new sword, maybe some armor if you have any left over iron…” he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb, “I may have lost the last of my stuff back when the Nether Portal went out.”

“You mean when you broke the Nether Portal, effectively trapping us here?”

“Yeah something like that.” Ryan flipped Gavin off subtly, rubbing his middle finger across his eyebrow. 

“Do you have any?”

“Yeah I’ve got a bit, gimme a second.” Gavin bent down to rifle through his bag just as a Wither Skeleton emerged from the shadows directly behind him, Ryan jumped over Gavin and shoved the Skeleton hard, hoping to push him over the edge of the Fortress. Just before it fell, the Skeleton struck out slashing at Ryan’s chest leaving a deep gash. 

Gasping for breath Ryan stumbled back and landed hard on the ground. His skin beginning to turn a sickly grey color. The tips of his fingers turning black and his heart beginning to skip beats.

“Ryan’s been withered!”  
————————————————————————————

Ryan sat straight up in his bed, clutching his chest, not remembering how he had gotten into his house after their adventures in the Nether. His vision was blurry, and his face was radiating with pain. He brought his left hand up to run through his sandy hair, blinking rapidly, trying to dispel the darkness that seemed to cloud the vision on the right side of his face. 

He looked to the right, the peripheral of his left eye catching sight of the black bulge protruding from his face. He reached up with shaky hands and felt around, realizing that an eye patch had been gingerly placed against his right eye. His memory slowly started to return. 

“Take the damn thing out. Who needs two eyes?” “I don’t need two eyes, I’m alive.”

“You are alive, but Ryan….”

“I don’t need the eye, trust me.”

“You’re one resilient bastard, aren’t you Rye-Bread?” Michael spoke up from his seat in the far corner of Ryan’s house. “You take hits and keep going back for more.”

Ryan laughed ruefully, “I guess that’s just my downfall isn’t it.” He shook his head, his hand again reaching up to touch the eye patch. “They took the whole thing huh?”

Michael was silent for a moment before he stood and made his way over to the stand next to Ryan’s bed. Ryan turned his head to see what was happening but couldn’t get a good angle from where he was sitting. Michael plopped something in his lap, “what the hell is this?” Ryan’s confusion plain in his voice. He held up the glass jar to eye level, taking in the object before him. “You guys put my eye in a glass jar?”

Michael shrugged, “we knew you would want to keep it, you’re crazy like that.” 

Ryan continued to stare as the blue orb stared back at him, floating lazily in the liquid Michael had added to the jar. “Is that, slime?” He shook the jar gently and watched as his eye made it’s way slowly to the top of the jar and then slowly back down to the bottom. 

“It is, we needed something that would keep it stable enough in the jar, water wouldn’t have done the Mad King’s eye justice.” He smiled and strolled to the chest by the front door, “oh hey, before I forget, you need to take these two potions.” He pulled a regeneration potion and a healing potion from their spots in the chest. 

“You’ve pulled through the past two days, but we want to keep you healing.” 

“I’ve been out for two days?!” That was two wasted days in Ryan’s opinion. He could have been expanding his house, training Edgar, stealing from Geoff’s Mercantile, discovering abandoned mineshafts, or more importantly…hunting down the asshole who had shot him in the eye. “What’s happened since I’ve been out?”

“Not much,” Michael shrugged. “Jack, Lindsay, and Geoff took, off to hunt for more food. Gavin and Jeremy have been repairing Dark Achievement City, fortifying it a bit more so that our next few raids will go a bit more smoothly, and we’ve all basically been alternating out watching over you.”

Ryan couldn’t believe it, his friends had basically dropped everything to take care of him. He knew how much Gavin hated rebuilding, and he knew Michael hated being stationary and the thought of Geoff hunting in the woods was almost laughable. He laid back against his bed, his hand automatically going to push the offending eye patch off of his face. 

“Can I see….” Ryan trailed off.

“You want to see your face?” Michael went back to the chest pulling a shard of mirror that Ryan kept in the bottom out, “The Regeneration Potions have helped a lot to get rid of the scarring around your mouth and eyes….er eye.”

Michael handed him the shard and went to feed Edgar, giving Ryan privacy but not abandoning him completely. 

Ryan gazed into the mirror, pulling the eye patch away slowly. He winced as his damaged eye socket came into view. The veins surrounding his eye protruded slightly standing out a stark black against his pale face. The scarring surrounding his eye socket was prominent but looked years old rather than days. He grumbled to himself as he touched the tender skin nearest his nose. Suddenly overcome by rage, he wound his arm back and hurled the glass into the wall opposite his bed. 

“RYAN?” Michael bolted back up from Edgar’s hole noticing the blood dripping from Ryan’s hand and the shattered mirror pieces covering the floor. “Well, the mirror was small enough, I don’t think you’ll get the full seven years bad luck.” He went to the chest and pulled out a few bandages, he took them to the water bucket nearest Ryan’s bed and wet them lightly. He sat in the chair beside Ryan and began to clean and wrap the new injury. When he was finished Michael uncorked the two potions and held them out to Ryan. “Drink these, and try and get some more rest, the others will be happy to see you’re awake and more active.”

Ryan drank the two potions before handing the bottles back to Michael who returned them to the chest. While he was in there Michael noticed the satchel containing the Ender Pearl that Jeremy had deposited there two days ago. He took the bag out and dropped it in Ryan’s lap. “By the way, Jeremy, Jack and Gavin took on a bunch of Endermen, they wanted you to have one of the pearls.” He watched as Ryan opened the satchel and dumped the pearl on his lap. It glowed a dark teal and seemed to hum with a wild energy. “When you’re feeling up to it, we want to go out and search for a Stronghold, we don’t want to do it without you.”

Ryan nodded mutely, staring at the pearl in his lap.   
“Anyway, I’ll let you get more rest, I’m going to head out and let Geoff know you’ve been awake and took those potions. He’ll be in for the next shift.” Michael stood up smiling at Ryan and made his way out of the house. 

Ryan sat silently, staring at the Ender Pearl in his lap, he reached for it but as he did it seemed to roll toward him. He jerked his hand back in surprise and shuddered when his hand brushed against the eye patch he had removed earlier. He reached for the patch and placed it back over his right eye, before picking up the Ender Pearl and turning it over in his hands. It seemed to have a smooth texture. Like a marble.   
He held the pearl in his hand for long moments, an idea forming in his head as a sinister smile played across his lips. 

“They did say I was crazy…..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Any and all criticisms welcome!


	3. Eye of Ender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan needs to get out of the house.  
> 

“Ryan’s been withered!”

Ryan couldn’t breathe, his chest was on fire, and he was suddenly ravenous for a pork chop. His eyes flew open and he came face to face with Gavin. His nose and eyes the only things visible from behind his creeper skin and armor. “Ryan, just hang on alright! I’m going to get you help!” Ryan watched as Gavin bolted in the direction Jack had taken off in. 

“What the hell went wrong here.” Ryan realized he was talking to himself, but it was better than dying in silence, alone, in the dim lighting of a Nether Fortress. “I mean, we had the raid under control, then the damned Ghast attacked, the Nether Portal went out, the Blaze Spawner exploded, damn Wither Skeletons…” He trailed off as a ragged cough forced it’s way from his chest and into his throat. 

“Talking to yourself again, eh Mad King?” The dark green cloak covering Geoff’s head appeared just behind him.

“Must you call me that?” Ryan muttered through gritted teeth, the act of speaking beginning to cause him actual pain. “Think you could speed up this ‘help’ thing you’re trying to do?”

Geoff’s laugh echoed through the halls of the Nether Fortress, “sure thing Mad King, sure thing.” He pulled his bag over his head and rifled through it, producing two bottles of milk, “Drink these, they should help with the Wither’s poison.” Geoff helped Ryan sit up enough to drink, being careful of the gaping wound spread across his chest. Blood spilled down his black tunic and across the kilt he wore for free movement during fights.

“Dammit, I just cleaned this thing last week.” Ryan grumbled, already feeling the effects of the Wither lessening. 

“And to think, none of this would have happened if you hadn’t broken the Nether Portal!” 

“I didn’t break the Nether Portal!” Ryan howled as he sat up against the wall of the Fortress. “I never break the Portals, they just seem to go down….a lot”

“A lot, when you go through them, but you’re right, not your fault.” Geoff began to pull medical supplies from his bag as Ryan removed what remained of his shirt. The muscles in his arms and chest tensing as Geoff began to clean the wound, infection was rare in Achievement City, but they still couldn’t take chances with the new threat the Wither Skeletons posed. 

*thwaaap*

An arrow struck the wall between them, inches from their heads. Geoff jerked around pulling the bow from his back and an arrow from Ryan’s quiver lying discarded by his hip. With no hesitation Geoff knocked his arrow and sent it flying toward the Skeleton Archer balancing on the edge of the Fortress. It caught the Archer in it’s exposed rib cage, propelling it off the side and into the lava waiting below. “You invite trouble, everywhere you go.” Geoff smiled returning to his task of wrapping Ryan’s chest. 

“I invite nothing but goodness and wine, wine that I don’t drink.” Ryan smirked. He pushed Geoff’s hands away finishing up the binding on his chest before picking up his discarded items. He spotted Gavin’s bag on the ground and began to rifle through it, pulling out several bits of iron. “Would you mind?” He handed them to Geoff, and then shoved Gavin’s items back in, picking up the diamond sword the Brit had crafted for him before taking off. A quick flash of movement caught his attention from the right side of the Nether Fortress. 

“No problem, just the armor?” 

Ryan nodded, distracted. He could have sworn he’d seen…..no it couldn’t be.  
Geoff crafted the items Ryan needed, with a certain skill not many of the others had. Soon Ryan was outfitted and ready to continue the raid. “Let’s go find the others, something about this doesn’t seem right.”

“No kidding, I haven’t heard anything from Michael or Jeremy this entire time, which is crazy because usually they’re the two you just can’t shut up.” Geoff shook his head, he loved those two idiots but sometimes their bickering and nonsense rivaled Gavin’s. Making it nearly impossible to get anything done. 

Speaking of, Gavin skidded around the corner with Jack and Michael in tow. “He’s down over here, he’s been Withed real bad….” He pulled to a stop inches from bumping into Ryan’s freshly bandaged chest. 

“Hey Gavin, good to see you found the others.” 

“Where the hell is Jeremy?” Geoff stood from where he was reorganizing his bag, “have any of you heard from him?”

Jack and Gavin shook their heads, Michael pointed toward the tower opposite the one he had been stood on, “last time I saw him, he was sniping from up there, but that was a little over what felt like an hour ago.”

A menacing shriek cut through their conversation and a fireball lit the area surrounding them as the side of the Nether Fortress crumbled into dust….

—————————————————————————————————-

“He’s been cooped up in his house for a week now, I think he’ll be okay if we take him on the stronghold hunt with us.” Michael wasn’t the only one pleading Ryan’s case. The lads and Jack knew he wasn’t wrong, Ryan had been in his house on mandatory bed rest for seven full days and seven full nights. It was time he be set loose again to wreak havoc on the city. 

Geoff and Lindsay however, were the deciding factor. They had tended to the worst of his wounds, and Ryan knew they wouldn’t be happy if he took off on another adventure only to be brought back to the city covered in blood soaked rags. 

“Ryan’s been on bed rest because he lost an organ. A fairly important organ.” Geoff argued, “You think he’s ready to be shot at, beaten on, bitten, attacked….”

The others started shouting over him attempting to get their opinion across, Ryan continued to listen to them argue just outside his door for a few more minutes before he got out of bed and swung it open. Every head swung towards him, six sets of eyes settling on his one.

“You’re all forgetting one major thing, I feel fine.” Ryan pointed toward the flint and steel he had been holding onto set next to his bed, “and if you leave me here much longer, I may find a way to burn Achievement City to the ground.” 

“He’s got a point.” Jack nodded in the direction of the last time they had left Ryan to his own devices. The burned out trees a stark reminder to the 24 hours Ryan was on his own in the city.

Geoff remained silent but continued to meet Ryan’s steady gaze. “Listen, if I feel like I can’t keep up, I’ll stop. There’s plenty of huts around Achievement City, if I get too worn out I’ll be able to stop at any one of them and catch up with the rest of the guys later.”

Geoff didn’t say anything, just shook his head and walked away from the rest of the group. He entered his monolith and shut the door without a backwards glance.

“That’s probably as close to his acceptance of this situation that you’re gonna get,” Lindsay smiled wistfully, “he was really worried about you.”

Ryan nodded, he knew what everyone had sacrificed when he had been hit, and he knew that he could never repay them for saving his life, but he needed to get out. He pressed the heel of his hand against his eye patch, the dull ache that persisted the only real problem he had. The rest of his body had fully healed, he could keep all of his meals down and the short walks he and Jeremy took every day had gotten him back to nearly his full strength. 

He was ready.

The next morning, before the sun had fully risen over Achievement City, The Lads plus Jack and Ryan finished packing their gear and supplies, preparing to head out in the direction of the stronghold. 

Michael rifled through the chest near the wall of maps, pulling out several maps of Achievement City and some for the surrounding area that he and Lindsay had spent the past week exploring and filling out. 

The timing was perfect, if they could secure a Stronghold, maybe find an End Portal, they could secure their homes completely. They could collect Dragon’s Breath for Lingering Potions. Those would help when they went into The Nether for raids. Ryan was beginning to get excited. He rolled his map and tucked it into a side pocket of his pack. 

“Take me with you”

Ryan jerked around staring at the bag on his table. It began to glow a little brighter as he approached it slowly. 

“Take me with…..”

Ryan snatched the bag up and opened it quickly, staring directly at the Ender Pearl. When nothing else happened he shook his head. “I’m losing my mind.”

“You mean you haven’t already?” Ryan spun to face his door, Jack smirked at him, leaning against the dirt frame. “You ready to go yet? The others are grabbing the mules, then we’re heading West.” 

“Yeah, just give me a minute, I’ll be right out.” Jack nodded and met with the rest of the group just behind Geoff’s house. 

Ryan stood next to his crafting table Ender Pearl in hand. He fished around in his chest and pulled out his extra Blaze Powder. 

“Take me with you….”

Ryan’s smile was almost diabolical, “as you wish….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> I'm trying to add two chapters a day!


	4. Eye of Ender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The groups trip to a Stronghold takes an unsavory turn

“Ryan grab my hand!” Geoff was laying flat on the Fortress floor, reaching over the side of the demolished wall. Ryan was dangling precariously over a lava spout. “Just take my damn hand and I’ll pull you up!”

Ryan hefted himself up enough for Geoff to grab him by his forearm and haul him up over the side. They collapsed in a heap nearest the far wall. The Ghast shrieked, powering up another fireball. 

“We need to move, now!” Gavin and Michael began dragging Geoff and Ryan into the protection of the Nether Fortress inner walls. Just as the Ghast fired, sending fire raining down over them. Jack was quickly building up a cobblestone wall. “We need to fortify this, the Ghast won’t be able to break through.”

Jeremy dropped down from his snipers perch ten feet above their heads,“But what about the rest of the mobs, we’re going to be trapped on the complete opposite side of the Nether. We won’t be able to access the Nether Portal.”

Michael gripped the Ghast tear he kept with him at all times. “We can’t die in here, Ryan give me the flint and steel, I’ll get us out.”

Ryan handed the flint and steel over watching as Jeremy and Jack began opening up a section of the wall for Michael to fit through. “Stay low, the Ghast’s vision isn’t that great so it might not be able to see you.”

“With our luck, it’ll spot me the minute I step out of here.” Michael glanced outside checking to see if the coast was clear enough for him to bolt. “I’ll meet you guys at the Portal, I swear I won’t go through until you’re all across the bridge.”

They nodded in agreement. All except Ryan, “I’m the reason the Portal went down, I’m going, I’ll cover you.” Michael gripped his hand in a showing of solidarity.

Gavin fist bumped Michael as he headed for the exit. “Be careful out there Boi! We’ve got your back.” The guys got into position Gavin covering the highest point of the Nether Fortress tower they were hiding in. Ryan went low positioning himself right outside of the fortifications, Jack and Jeremy held the opening for Michael to slip through and Geoff, was bent over a makeshift potion stand, quickly brewing fire resistance potions. He slid two to Michael and one to Ryan. 

“Those should hold you until you’re able to get the portal going.” Ryan pocketed his potion saving it until they made their way over to the portal.   
Jack and Jeremy closed the opening of their makeshift hideout and took position near two window like openings in the Nether Fortress. Bows at the ready, they waited silently. 

Long moments passed before Jeremy turned to the group a quiet, troubled look flashing across his face, “it’s too fucking quiet out there.” Jack shook his head in agreement, “we should have heard something, anything by now.”

“Gavin, do you see anything?” Geoff yelled up to the Brit. 

“There are a few Zombie Pigmen loitering about near the Portal, and a Wither Skeleton near us.” 

“Do you see Michael or Ryan?” Jeremy called back.

“I don’t see them yet, they should be there by now yeah?”

*BWOOM*

An explosion sounded on the other side of the Fortress, followed by the shrieking of a Ghast and the clinking of bone against bone. Ryan came back into view covered in what looked like blood and viscera. 

“Shit, Gavin, what’s going on?!” Geoff yelled taking in the sight of Ryan, “Where the hell is Michael?”

Gavin didn’t say anything but suddenly a torrent of arrows shot from the top of the Fortress tower in the direction of Ryan and the explosion. Ryan dropped to one knee, leaning heavily on his sword, his left arm hanging limply by his side. He raised his head making eye contact with Geoff, shaking his head somberly.   
“They aren’t going to make it!” Geoff started pulling supplies from his pack to make armor and a new diamond sword. “I’m going out there, get my back.”  
Jeremy and Jack nodded their faces grim as they opened fire on the Wither and Archer Skeletons slowly advancing on Ryan’s prone form. Geoff signaled Jack and he pulled the wall open enough for Geoff to get through. Geoff bolted forward swinging at enemies as they approached him. 

Completely surrounded, Ryan gathered his strength and pushed himself up with the assistance of his sword. Fury began to pulse through his veins, the rage bled through his system, adrenaline fueling him as he turned and swung. His blade cutting through enemy after enemy. Bodies fell surrounding Ryan until he could barely move outside of the ring of corpses. 

He looked up at his friends a triumphant grin plastering his face, just as a Wither Skeleton dropped down behind him. Before it could attack, Jeremy shot an arrow that whipped through the air, grazing the top of Ryan’s hair and pinning the Skeleton to the wall. It’s sword clattered to the ground, and Ryan turned to deliver the killing blow.. 

*Thwunk*

The arrow came from seemingly out of nowhere. Ryan stumbled back, tripping over the pile of bodies, his arms pinwheeling as he tried to regain his balance. 

*Thwunk*

A second arrow sailed from the direction of the first nailing Ryan square in the chest. His pectoral muscle taking the brunt of the arrowhead. Ryan fell back his head cracking against the Nether brick. 

“Ryan’s been hit! They hit him!” Gavin screamed to the guys below. They turned in unison taking in the gruesome sight before them. 

Michael emerged from the other end of the Fortress, “The Portal’s ready, we can get out of….” He trailed off taking in Ryan’s collapsed form. Trailing from the arrow in his chest to his head. His murmured ‘fuck” seemed to echo off the walls of the Nether Fortress. 

“His eye….”

—————————————————————————————————-

Ryan emerged from his house moments later, absently rubbing at his eye patch. 

“Is it still giving you trouble?” Geoff’s voice startled Ryan making him jump. 

“Shit, you scared the hell out of me.” Ryan gripped his chest gently, “It’s not really bothering me, just sometimes the patch slides down my face when I sweat.”

Geoff nodded taking a step toward him, “well let me check out the wound, I want to make sure there isn’t anymore risk of infection.” 

Ryan leaned back out of his reach, “It’s okay, I’ve been taking really good care of it.” He held up two fingers in a weird sign, “scouts honor, or something.”

Geoff stared at him for a moment, before dropping his hands and moving to head back into his house. “Okay, just make sure if you start feeling off, or if you need to rest make sure you do it.”

Ryan smiled and nodded, “Geoff I told you I would take care of myself, I’m not going to ruin the work you’ve done getting me back to 100%”

“Good, go find the damn Stronghold.” Geoff disappeared into his house.  
Ryan ran around the side of his house and met up with the others, “you guys ready for this?” 

Gavin and Jeremy whooped excitedly, Michael offered Ryan up a high-five, and Jack handed him a satchel full of food. “Let’s get this shit show on the road.”

They were on what felt like their eighth break that hour. “Why do we keep stopping?” Ryan questioned from where he was laying near the small swamp, poking a lily-pad with a stick. “This is like the hundredth time we’ve stopped!”

Jack exchanged a look with Michael who was currently keeping watch from the nearest tree, “we’re just making sure that we have enough food and water, you know just in case.” Jack went back to boiling water and tending the pork chops he had roasting over an open fire.

Jeremy and Gavin were off hunting for pigs and sheep, they were hoping to make beds for the next hut they came across. 

“I know what you guys are doing,” Ryan sat up and adjusted his eye patch pressing the heel of his hand against it, “at this rate we aren’t going to make it out of this map by the end of the night.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Michael dropped from his perch, “we really need more food and water.”

Ryan stood and tossed his stick into the swamp. He brushed his hands off on his kilt and walked over to the bags hanging from the nearest mule. He pulled them down and dumped their contents on the ground. “We have six full bags of food, and three BUCKETS of water.” Ryan raised an eyebrow at Michael.

“We’re out of pork chops?” 

Ryan shook his head and plopped back down next to the lily-pad he’d been poking. He leaned over the water adjusting his eye patch. 

“Your, injury, bothering you?” Jack had wandered over and was meeting his eye in the reflection of the water. 

“No, I’m just fixing it, It tends to slide if it gets too hot.” Ryan placed his whole hand over the patch. “I’m still not used to it. The….socket, is sometimes really sore, but I guess that’s par for the course after you lose an eye?”

Jack nodded solemnly, “I wish we could have been able to save it. Geoff, he really did try.” 

“I know, and I don’t blame him for losing it, he tried so damn hard to fix me. I thought I would be okay with it, but, now that it’s gone….” Ryan laid back down in the soft grass, “I’m just not used to it yet is all.”

“You have me now…..”

Ryan jerked his head to the right….

“Damn Ryan, I’m sorry.” Jack shook his head sadly, “I wish I could help you.”  
“Jack you did enough, you got me back to the Overworld. You guys saved my life.” Ryan sat back up pitching small stones into the water, “I would have died if you hadn’t gotten me back to Lindsay.”

“Maybe you did die…..”

Ryan pressed a hand to his forehead just above where his right eye used to be.

“When Jeremy and Gavin get back maybe we just keep going until we get to the Western Hut?”

Michael dropped down next to Ryan, “sure if you feel like you’re up for it we can definitely push on.”

Ryan nodded. The sun had dipped closer to the horizon when Jeremy and Gavin finally made their appearance. Both were carrying large satchels of foods. Carrots, Potatoes, Beetroot, and various meats. The guys split the supplies up and began cooking.

“Are we ready to take off yet?” Ryan questioned as he finished packing and stowing away the rest of the cooked meats. “Because I think it is time to go!”

The guys chuckled gathered up the rest of their supplies and started toward the setting sun. They had been travelling for a few hours when Jeremy noticed a light glow coming from the woods on their immediate right.

“You guys notice that?” He pointed off in the direction of the lights. “It’s like we’re being followed by torches.”

Ryan turned fully to the right squinting into the darkness. 

“You know who it is……”

Ryan shook his head hard, his hand automatically reaching for his patch. “Could it be some of the villagers?”

“They don’t generally leave the villages, especially at night.” Jack handed his mule over to Gavin and drew his sword. “Jeremy cover me, I want to see what that is, no surprises.”

Jeremy grabbed a torch and his short sword, “no fucking surprises.”

Jack and Jeremy disappeared into the woods, following the lights. 

*crunch*

Ryan turned toward the sound of a cracking branch. The smell of roses filled the air momentarily before Ryan’s world went black. Just before he fully lost consciousness a voice floated through his mind.

“Well well well, Ryan, looks like you came in second this time…..way to go champ.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I keep saying it, but, Thank you so much for reading my work!   
> I'm also looking for new prompts. Preferably based on Achievement Hunter.   
> I'm loving the Ender Eye AU and the twists and turns it allows me to take and I would love to work on more!  
> So if you have any prompts feel free to add them in the comments of any of the parts in this series!  
> Thanks!


	5. Eye of Ender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's trapped in a dungeon...there's no way in...no way out.

The pain was unbearable just as Ryan’s world went dark.

“What the bloody hell happened?!” Gavin vaulted down from the snipers perch. “You shot him in the face!”

“I didn’t! I don’t even have my bow!” Michael was attempting to stabilize Ryan’s head as Geoff examined the wound.

“We need to get him back to Lindsay, these injuries are too severe.”

Jack and Jeremy quickly went to work fashioning a stretcher and moving Ryan’s limp body onto it. “Don’t jostle him too much, we need to get back to the Overworld, but I don’t want to damage him too much more. Maybe we’ll be able to save his eye.”

“I didn’t do this, I swear I didn’t do this.” Michael held Ryan’s head steady as the guys moved him toward the portal. “Ryan you fuck, you can’t die. We won’t let you die.”

Gavin and Jeremy led the group forward while Michael, Jack and Geoff supported Ryan on the makeshift stretcher. They just made it across the bridge when a group of Zombie Pigmen emerged from the darkness, their eyes glowed an ominous red, swords raised, necrotic flesh dangled from their pale bones. Gavin sprinted forward his sword raised. The Pigmen surrounded him, and he cut through them with a surprising accuracy. Jeremy moved to the rear as a Wither Skeleton scaled the wall just behind them. 

The group pressed forward and finally arrived at the Nether Portal. Geoff and Jack went through first holding Ryan. Michael and Jeremy followed while Gavin held off the mobs pressing in on them. 

They rushed Ryan into his house, and settled him on his bed, Michael called out for Lindsay and rushed to get water and bandages. Jeremy stayed with Ryan keeping his head stable while Geoff quickly snapped the base of the arrow protruding from Ryan’s chest off. He cut the tunic from Ryan’s body and studied the wounds. 

“This arrow didn’t penetrate him too deeply, it can wait for now, let me look at his eye.”

Jeremy tilted Ryan’s head to the right gently, angling him so that Geoff could get a better look. Lindsay burst into the house just as Geoff hung his torch closer to Ryan’s bed. 

“Holy shit…..” she rushed to his left side grabbing materials to clean and suture along the way. “How did this happen?”

Jeremy shook his head, “We didn’t see who or what hit him,” his arms began to shake with rage, “He was out there alone…” Michael entered the small house with more buckets of water and all of the bandages they had in the storage chests. “Michael what happened out there?”

“I don’t know, I was working on the portal and suddenly it was silent, Ryan was gone.” Michael shook his head, “By the time I got the portal up, all hell had broken loose and Ryan was down.”

“This isn’t important,” Geoff was focused intently on Ryan’s face, attempting to extract the arrow without removing his eye. “I need to focus and I can’t do that with you bickering about what happened. Just go.”

Jeremy and Michael exited and headed to the outskirts of Achievement City. They sat, backs to an old oak tree staring aimlessly at the stars.

Jeremy finally broke the silence, “Ryan took a pretty hard hit.”

“It can’t be that bad! We’ve all taken a lot of hits over the years, remember when Ray was here?”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re not dead yet Mad King,” the voice sounded familiar, “though it looks like someone may have tried to fix that for me.”

Ryan blinked his eye open slowly, his vision taking a minute to clear. The room he was in had a yellow glow emanating from glowstone lamps situated in each corner of the room. The sickly smell of old blood permeated the air, the walls were covered in mossy cobblestone. The ground littered with old bones and rusted chains hung from the wall. 

He was in a dungeon.

Ryan muttered to himself, “This is hell.”

“you haven’t seen hell yet.”

Ryan hissed as a sharp pain shot through his eye socket. He jerked his head to the right, as if someone or something had pulled it. “Dammit!”

“You still talk to yourself, eh?” A figure stepped into the dungeon room, their armor and sword gleamed in the low light. “How are you enjoying your….accommodations?”

“Who the hell are you?”

“you know who he is….”

“Sssssssssss, auuuugh!” Ryan’s head flew forward, chains rattled as he attempted and failed to press his hand into his eye patch. 

“I can help you…..”

The dark figure stepped into the light, “you’ve finally lost it haven’t you.”

“…Ray?”

“Ahh, so you do remember me.” Ray stood before Ryan smirking coldly. 

“You were one of us, how could I forget you?” Ryan stared at him quizzically, “you were one of my closest friends.” 

Ray laughed evilly. “You took everything from me! I was the rightful King and you took that away from me! Gave it to the Brit!”

Ryan was confused, he couldn’t give the Kingdom to anyone, Gavin had earned it rightfully. 

”You…are the Mad King.”

Ray lashed out, pressing something against Ryan’s throat, “You never deserved Achievement City, Mad King…..” Ray pressed harder pushing Ryan’s head back. “Did they take your eye Mad King? Did they steal it from you, like you stole MY Kingdom from me?”

Ryan was struck by a realization, “you were there, you were in the Nether Fortress with us.”

Ray took a step back, “I wish I could take credit for the beauty that is you losing an eye, but I wasn’t there….”

“you know who took your eye….”

Ryan shook his head hard. He did know, he knew he had seen someone else in the Fortress. Knowing that Ray had been there made him certain that he was the one who had shot him twice. 

Ray suddenly approached him, “I want to see the beauty that is your humiliation.” He reached out and ripped the Eye patch from Ryan’s face. The room was bathed in a deep green glow as the patch fell to the ground. 

“Now we will show them….” 

Ryan’s menacing laugh filled the room, his chains rattled, and a low hum emanated from him. Ray backed up slightly just as Ryan disappeared from in front of him. “You took my eye, now I’ll take your life.” His voice seemed to come from every direction until suddenly it was as if he was standing directly behind Ray. 

“Let’s Play….”


	6. Eye of Ender

“How’s that portal coming along?” Ryan asked anxiously. 

Michael’s head was obscured by the Obsidian he was currently placing, “it’s busted on this side, I might have to rebuild it completely.”

“Fuck.”

“Exactly my thoughts,” Michael ran his fingers through his hair, “this isn’t right, we’ve never done this kind of damage to a portal.”

“I know, it’s like someone came up and bashed it down after we left.” Ryan moved to stack up broken bits of Obsidian for Michael to fuse back together. He went to stand watch, when something moved off to the right catching his attention. He crouched, low to the ground, and trained his bow in the direction he had seen movement. 

“What did you see?” Michael had ceased working, his hand instinctively moving to the sword strapped to his back. 

“Keep working on the Portal, we need to get out…..” Ryan trailed off as a Fireball sailed in from the left, exploding about three feet away from them. The blast sent Michael flying and slammed Ryan into the side of the Nether Portal.

“FUCK!” Michael got up slowly, brushing debris from his chest and arms. He reached for his sword, “shit where’d it go?” He looked around frantically spotting it and his bow and quiver a few feet away. He ran to them and trained his bow on the Ghast floating several yards away. Michael shot, taking the creature down in one hit. He turned to Ryan, assessing his injuries as he approached him.

“Hey, you’re not dead are you?”

Ryan shook bits of Netherack from his hair, “not dead yet,” He pushed himself up brushing himself off. “Fucking Ghast didn’t destroy the portal again did it?”

“Doesn’t look like it,” Michael’s eyes widened before he started patting his trousers and tunic frantically, “Shit, I think I dropped the flint and steel.”

Ryan looked around the ground at their feet, hoping that it had landed close. Michael searched, but it seemed in vain, the surrounding area was swathed in fire. Ryan pulled out his fire resistance potion quickly swallowing the contents. “We need the flint and steel, just watch my back.” Michael picked up his bow, standing at the ready for anything. 

“I’ve got you, just make sure you get out before that wears off.”

Ryan nodded before wading slowly through the flames covering the ground. He stepped over a bit of lit Netherack and directly down onto Nether Wart, which exploded into a red gooey substance, covering his bare legs. “Shit!”

“Did you get hit?” Michael called out to him.

“You could say that, fucking Nether Wart.” Ryan leaned down to wipe the sludge from his legs when he began to feel the heat of the flames start to surround him. “The potion is starting to wear off.” He gave one last look around, spotting the flint and steel a foot away surrounded by fire. Ryan dove for it, the back of his kilt catching fire. 

“Ryan, get out of there!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You wouldn’t kill me.” Ray swung around, his sword arching through the air, aiming for Ryan’s throat. 

“not fast enough….”

Ryan teleported to the other side of the dungeon, his laugh echoed off the mossy walls. Ray met his eyes, his own widening as he took in the Ender Eye glowing ominously from Ryan’s right eye socket. 

“You’re a monster….” Ray took a step back, hoping to get through the dungeon door.

“don’t let him escape…”

Ryan teleported to the door just as Ray spun intending to bolt. Ryan gripped his neck lifting him off the ground almost effortlessly. Dark purple and teal tendrils of power shot from Ryan’s fingertips curling around Ray’s body. His eyes widened as the power began to seep into Ray. His skin began to turn a dark purple, his veins bulging a deep red. A guttural scream escaped Ray’s throat just before he went limp.

Ryan dropped his body to the ground.

“leave him….”

Ryan stepped out of the dungeon slamming the door shut behind him, bolting it before he teleported to the surface. The sky was dark, the rain lashed down on the rooftop of the dilapidated castle Ryan stood before, the wind made the tree branches dance. 

“this is your rightful place, My King….”

“No, Achievement City, is my rightful place.” He turned toward his home, as a hooded figure watched him from a distance. 

“show them…”

A slow menacing smile spread across Ryan’s face as he teleported away.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door to the dungeon swung wide, the hooded figure made his way over to his downed Monarch “you must wake up….” A soft blue glow emanated from the mans fingertips, and spread across the body of the unconscious man.. 

He stirred and finally opened his eyes.

“My King….”


	7. Eye of Ender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan tests his newfound powers...

Ryan stumbled to his feet, fire licking at his heels and crawling up the back of his kilt. He picked his away around the flames making his way back to the portal. “Here, picked this up special for you.” Ryan panted as he handed over the flint and steel to Michael. 

“You….are still slightly on fire.” Michael dropped his bow next to the portal and went back to work. Ryan crawled up to the top of the portal his legs dangling over either side. 

“Nah, just smoking a little.” Ryan, began fastening a new set of arrows, keeping watch. He caught sight of a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. A hooded figure crouched behind the wall of the Nether Fortress. Ryan dropped down and knocked an arrow. “Michael…”

Michael didn’t respond, intent on the work in front of him. 

Ryan stalked toward the Nether Fortress training his bow on the darkened corner. A deep purple glow lit the area just moments before a small herd of Zombie Pigmen, Skeletons, and Wither Skeletons emerged from the darkness opposite the purple glow, heading right for Ryan.

A Ghast emerged over the wall of the Fortress shooting a fireball in his direction. He dodged into the Fortress, but the figure was gone. He turned a 180 facing the enemies head on. The Ghast shrieked, sending another fireball toward the Fortress, it hit the side of the building raining fire down over his head and the entrance. Ryan stowed his bow, pulling his diamond sword from his back just as a Zombie Pigman brought the hilt of it’s sword down over his head, sending him forward. 

He spun swinging his sword taking out the nearest Zombie Pigman, it’s rotting flesh and thick turbid brown blood rained down on him. He held his breath the smell nearly overwhelming him. He stumbled from the Nether Fortress opening surrounded by mobs. He dropped to one knee, leaning heavily on his sword, attempting to catch his breath. 

A volley of arrows rained down in his direction as he wrapped his arms around his head, protecting himself. He looked up meeting Geoff’s worried gaze as mobs began to surround him on all sides, he shook his head hard. He gathered what strength he had left, “I’m not dying in this fucking Fortress.” He pushed himself up, rage filtering through his veins. He turned and swung cutting through enemy after enemy, bodies fell piling up around his feet. He struck the last Zombie down and turned to face his friends, a triumphant grin lighting up his features. He heard the clink of bones as a Wither Skeleton dropped down behind him, raising its sword to deliver a death blow. He turned back to face it just as an arrow whizzed past his head and struck the Skeleton, pinning it to the wall. 

He raised his sword, about to put the Skeleton down, when movement caught his attention in the darkness of the Fortress. Pain exploded through his head as an arrow flew from the darkness burying itself deep into his right eye. He stumbled back his boot catching on a downed body behind him. He looked up his left eye barely able to focus as Michael stepped from the shadows, his bow trained on him, a deep purple glow surrounding him. 

He drew back, aiming directly at Ryan. Ryan’s world went black as Michael released, sending an arrow careening into his chest. 

“Goodnight Mad King….” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryan was testing his new power, teleporting through the woods. 

“you’re getting stronger….”

He smiled, pleased with the progress he was making. Ryan teleported another few feet, he leaned against a tree catching his breath. Power flowed through his fingertips and into the tree, necrotizing the bark. Ryan pulled his hand back staring as the deep purple power wrapped itself around his fingers and up his forearm.

“You will destroy, everything you touch….”

“What is this?” Power wrapped around his forearm and flowed across his chest down his torso, across his waist and wrapped itself around his legs. His boots left the ground as he began to hover a few inches from the soft dirt floor.

“you must learn…”

Ryan’s head dropped back as power flowed through him and exploded from his mouth and eyes, setting fire to the tree branches above him. He dropped back down to the ground gasping for air. “What the fuck….”

“Your body isn’t strong enough for that much power.” The voice seemed to carry from the woods in all directions. “I can help you…”

“do not listen…”

“Who the hell are you?” Ryan slowly spun in a circle looking for the source.

“You were meant to be something more, weren’t you?” A dark figure stepped from behind a destroyed tree, “you were meant to be a God.”

“you will be, with my help….”

Ryan took a step in the direction of the figure, and they faded from existence. “I can make you a dark God, if you’ll let me…” The voice was behind him, he spun to face the figure. 

“Face me.” Ryan growled, tired of games, power flowed from his fingertips, arching across the ground, like a thick cloud of smoke. The figure stepped from the shadows, a dark cloak covering their head. “I’ll ask again, who the hell are you?”

“I can teach you to bring life.” Power flooded from the stranger bringing the burned out trees back to life. Ryan watched with awe as limbs regrew, leaves filled out, and fruit came to life. He gazed in wonder as orange, white, pink, and red tulips grew from once dead ground. Dandelions and Allium, covered the ground. Beauty surrounded him. The stranger smiled menacingly, “and I can teach you how to take it away.” Another wave of power flowed from their hands, covering the ground destroying everything it touched. 

“you cannot trust…”

The figure stepped forward, pulling the cloak from their head. “I can show you just how powerful you are.” Two Ender Eyes glowed from behind a dark mask. Pink hair gleamed in the sun filtering through the dead limbs of the trees surrounding them. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled behind her mask. “We can help you Ryan.” Her voice was sultry. She wore a long pinkish-purple tunic, black commoners boots and was shrouded in power, a deep powerful hum emanated from her. 

Ryan approached her slowly, meeting the woman’s eyes. “Who are you?”

The sky clouded a deep dark purple, thunder crashing in the background, lightning striking around them. 

“You may call me…Kdin.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ray stood before a well of crystal clear water, watching the scene play out between Ryan and Kdin.

“Master, we can end him now.”

Ray rubbed his neck where Ryan’s fingerprints were branded into his skin. 

“He is not strong enough to control the power, this is the perfect time to strike.” The hooded figure stood behind Ray rolling a ball of power around in his hands.

Ray shook his head slowly, “I want to take his head with my bare hands, what fun will it be…if he can’t fight back.”


	8. Eye of Ender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan learns more about his power, and how to control it...

Kdin spread her arms wide, allowing the full breadth of her power show. She floated a few feet off the ground as a soft rain fell around them. Ryan stared in awe, tall grass filled the small meadow, sunflowers began to sprout from the soft dirt. 

“All you need to know about your power, comes directly from you,” her words filtered into his mind, a soft caress, “everything you are, your power will be.”

Ryan attempted to summon his power, sending a small burst from his fingertips in an arch of light. A tree across the meadow exploded into a orangish-red ball of flames. 

“Your anger is too strong, you cannot create life from hatred.” Kdin drew in a deep breath, bringing her hands to her chest, she pulled power directly from herself, “life comes from the peace in your heart.” A small tree sprouted at her feet. 

Ryan stared at his hands watching the power build, watching it wrap around his forearms. He knelt next to the ground pressing his palm flat to the earth. Power flooded from him and spread across the expanse of ground closest to him. The earth died at his feet. 

“Put your anger away,” Kdin dropped to the ground near him, “think of something that makes you genuinely happy and channel that.” 

Ryan sat back on his haunches and stared up at the sky, he thought back to his time as King of Achievement City. Power built again in his hands, he pressed them directly to the ground sending tall grass across the dead earth surrounding him. 

“this is not what your power is for….”

Ryan’s head jerked to the side, he gripped his temples shaking his head hard.

“You hear it too, don’t you.” Kdin’s voice continued to float through his mind, “You cannot listen to this voice, it will only breed hatred in you….”

“you will be the Mad King again….”

Ryan pressed his palm against his new eye, feeling it pulse in the socket. “This voice….”

“I hear it to, but you must combat it.” Kdin walked toward the forest, heading for home. “I can teach you to ignore the voice, but you must learn to control your emotions, learn your power, understand your purpose.”

“your purpose is to rule this domain, and I will help you…”

Ryan followed, noticing the torches lining the trees surrounding Kdin’s home. “Where is this in relation to the heart of Achievement City?”

Kdin pointed toward the East, “my home is 400 meters West of Achievement City. My people noticed you and your friends traveling through the forest before King Ray kidnapped you.” 

“King Ray?” Ryan rubbed his forehead confused. “Ray isn’t…King, there is not King of Achievement City.”

A look of confusion clouded Kdin’s face, her eyes flashed a bright teal, “Ray has been the King here for two years now, he took over when our original Monarch died.”

A horn sounded in the distance, birds and other forest creatures scattered. The villagers in the surrounding huts quickly drew their children indoors. The men gathered their weapons and rushed to dilapidated battle stations.

“What the hell is going on?” Ryan called to Kdin. 

She entered into her hut gathering potions of harming and her battered bow and quiver. She emerged just as a volley of flaming arrows rained down over the village.  
“they will take their lives, and you will help them…..”

Kdin dropped low, moving toward Ryan just as two figures came into view. “They are here to destroy our homes, raid our villages.”

“I don’t think that’s why they’re here.” Ryan took a step toward the trees, “Jeremy?”

“Ryan?!” Jeremy stepped into the dim light of the village, “we’ve been searching for you for days.”

Jack and Michael approached slowly, their bows drawn. “What are you doing here?” Jack appeared weary, searching the eyes of the villagers around them, finally settling on Ryan. 

He took in the looks of horror on the faces of his friends, “the eye takes some getting used to…” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“GET DOWN!” A villager called out to them just as another torrent of arrows began to rain down over them. 

“Shit, Gavin doesn’t know they’re friendly.” Michael took off in the direction the arrows were coming from. 

Minutes later a torch lit the sky nearly 50 meters away from the village, it slowly made it’s way closer to the ground and started in the direction of the village. 

“the weakling approaches….”

Ryan shook his head hard, but could feel his rage fueling the power building in his chest. It began to spread throughout his entire body and flow through his fingertips. His mind blanked completely and the voice grew louder.

“he will bring you to ruin…”

Michael stepped into view with Gavin close behind him.

Ryan’s body tensed slightly just before he lunged.


	9. Eye of Ender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan goes too far...

With a bellow Ryan barreled into Gavin, slamming his fists into his face. Gavin yelped pushing against Ryan’s chest attempting to shove him off. 

“Ryan no!” Michael leaped forward pulling on the back of Ryan’s tunic. Ryan threw his left arm out slamming Michael’s chest with a massive jolt of power, throwing him onto his back gasping for air. 

“they think to take your power from you…”

Ryan’s chest heaved as he breathed deeply, laying into Gavin even more. His fist connected with Gavin’s nose, blood spurting as the cartilage broke nearest the bone. Ryan felt a crunch as he felt the socket around Gavin’s eye shatter, his knuckles beginning to bruise. 

Jack lunged at Ryan’s back attempting to pull him off the smaller man. “Ryan what the fuck!” 

Ryan turned on Jack wrapping his hands around his neck sending pure power into him. Jack gasped for air as Ryan squeezed tighter, cutting off his air supply. Jeremy grabbed Gavin and attempted to pull him away from the crazed man. 

“your prey….”

Ryan turned on Jeremy laying him out with one hit to the face. He turned back to Gavin slamming both fists down into his chest, Gavin gasped as he felt his sternum crack. Ryan knelt over Gavin his knees pinning Gavin’s arms to the ground, his weight snapping the lad’s forearms, and wrapped both hands around Gavin’s throat attempting to snap his neck, effectively cutting off his airway. 

“end him….”

Ryan tightened his grip, “you were meant to die…”

Kdin stepped forward pressing her hands into the middle of his back. She summoned the whole of her power and sent it flowing through Ryan’s body. He fell over releasing Gavin, his back arching as the power ripped through his veins burning him from the inside out. 

“You will know power,” Kdin whispered into his mind, “you will feel my power.”

“they will pay….” 

Jack and Michael stumbled to their feet hauling Jeremy over to Gavin’s unconscious body. Michael turned on Ryan, he drew his sword and approached him slowly. 

Kdin stepped in front of him, “no, he’s still trying to get used to his power.” She held her hands up, power flowing from her fingertips up her forearms. She gestured to their downed companions. “You must take them from here, when he awakens there is no telling what he will do.”

Michael looked over her shoulder, staring at his writhing friend. “He is no longer one of us. If he comes back, we’ll kill him.”

Kdin shook her head, “he didn’t know what he was doing, he’s still struggling to understand his power,” she gestured toward the burned out meadow through the trees, “he’s still hearing the voice of death in his ear…” 

Jack stepped forward, “because of that fucking Ender Eye!” He pulled out his own sword, “we should take it out, before it corrupts him further.”

“No! This is the power he’s needed all along,” Kdin’s power went from a soft teal to a violent purple, “he is still learning, allow me to teach him!”

Michael turned and stormed back to his friends, “Jack, help me get them out of here.”

Jeremy stirred and sat up slowly, rubbing his temple gently. “What the hell happened?” 

Jack shook his head, “forget about it, we’re getting Gavin out of here.”

Kdin stepped forward, “I can teleport you back toward your home, it will make it so you do not need to travel through the night.”

Michael started to shake his head when Jeremy spoke up again, “Gavin might die if we have to travel through the night, she’s willing to help us, we should let her.”

Jack sighed, but begrudgingly agreed. Kdin knelt next to Gavin and pressed her hands gently to his shoulder, “grip my arm, this may be jarring.” Michael turned to look back at Ryan. He was gone. 

“Take us the fuck out of here.” Kdin teleported them away.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryan stood unsteadily at the top of a hill overlooking Achievement City. He watched as his friends carried Gavin into Geoff’s monolith, his broken body limp and bloody. 

Lindsay hurried in with her bag of tools. Michael and Geoff stepped from the monolith, Michael’s mouth and arms moving in a rage. Ryan teleported closer to the center of the city, partially cloaked by trees. He gripped his ribs gently, feeling the effects of Kdin’s power bouncing through his body. 

“The fuck attacked us, he turned on Gavin.” Michael was describing the carnage that was Ryan’s attack. “The eye is doing something to him!”

Geoff shook his head, “the eye?” 

Ryan narrowed his eyes, his body beginning to hum with rage. 

“He turned that stupid Ender Pearl into an Eye of Ender, shoved it in his fucking socket and now it’s turning him rabid!”

“We need to find him…” Geoff rubbed his hand across his face.

“they plot your downfall…”

Ryan teleported away with a bellow of rage. 

“we will end their lives….”

Ryan stood in the woods just outside of Achievement City, his fist launched out burying into the nearest tree. His power lashed out destroying trees in a 100 meter radius. 

Kdin approached him slowly, “you will learn to control your power,” she reached to place her hand on his shoulder, “I will help you understand what you are…” She took a step closer, when a wave of power exploded from Ryan pushing Kdin away. 

“Leave me!” Ryan turned on her, his Ender Eye glowing an ominous red, something Kdin had never seen before, “I am a Dark God!” He teleported to just in front of Kdin pressing his palm into the middle of her chest throwing all of his power into the jolt he delivered. Kdin collapsed her skin a sickly grey color, her breathing shallow, smoke rising from her pink hair, bright red blood trailing from her eyes, nose and mouth. 

“kill anyone who stands in your way…”

“I will…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for more on Ray in chapter 10!


	10. Eye of Ender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Ray and Michael might have secrets...

“Ray wins the whole fucking thing!” Michael’s shout echoed through the throne room, as the lads and gents gathered around Ray after his victorious fight. He went to his gilded tower to raise the final piece. 

Ryan stood before his subjects, a wicked smile spread across his face. “Before you celebrate… I give you a final task…”

Ray glared down from where he stood atop his golden tower, “final task? I thought…I earned the throne…”

“You didn’t think it would be that simple, did you?” Ryan shook his head as if disappointed by the men surrounding him. “The Mad King would never give up his crown that easily.” He turned to his most loyal subject, “Kerry…you know what to do.”

Kerry suddenly disappeared. 

Sounds of outrage exploded throughout the throne room, “We completed all of your tasks!”

“You can’t do this!”

Ryan leapt from his seat atop his gilded throne, “YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT DO!” The lads and gents shrank back in fear, “I AM THE KING!” 

Michael stepped forward kneeling before Ryan, rage emanating from him in soft waves, “What do you ask of us, my King?”

Ryan sat back, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. “For his crimes against the Kingdom,” Ryan paused momentarily taking in his ragtag subjects, “for his crimes against the Kingdom, I am sentencing Kerry to death, the first to bring me his head will win the crown.”

“What crimes?” Jack stepped forward cautiously, “he’s been by your side this entire time.”

A sinister smile crossed Ryan’s face, “I have grown bored of him, so bring me his head, and I will bequeath upon you, the crown.” 

Jack and Geoff shared an uneasy look, “as you wish my King.” 

Gavin, Michael, Geoff, and Jack left the throne room swords at the ready. Ray didn’t move, he stood glaring at Ryan his fists tightening, “Is there something you’d like to say?”

Ray collected his sword and turned his back on Ryan heading toward Kerry.

“Perhaps I should have told them of Kerry’s power….” Ryan shrugged re-seating himself. “Live and learn….”

Ray met with the rest of the group, standing outside of Ryan’s home. They could hear a quiet shuffling coming from inside. 

“I don’t feel right about this,” Jack and Geoff stood off to the side, “Ryan seems to be losing it….” Jack trailed off as Michael and Gavin joined them. Ray continued to stare at Ryan’s home, similar to his own, yet covered in art.

Gavin sank down into the grass, his armor clanking gently as he laid his sword next to him, “I won’t kill Kerry.” Michael nodded in agreement sitting beside his fellow lad, “He’s done nothing but support the King in everything, killing him would be wrong.”

“We know, but we have to do something.” Geoff paced quietly, before leaning back against his monolith, “What if we give up the throne, none of us truly wants it.”

Jack, Gavin, and Michael murmured their agreement, “It all seems so trivial, Achievement City thrived well without a monarch before, it can do so again.” The group lapsed into a companionable silence.

A scream cut through the calm. Their heads whipped toward Ryan’s home just as Ray exited, blood dripping from his sword. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey buddy,” Geoff stood over Gavin’s prone body spooning water into his mouth.

“Geof…”

“Don’t try and talk, your jaw was….damaged in the fight.” He continued to feed Gavin water, keeping him hydrated. 

Gavin’s arms were heavily bandaged, the left side of his face wrapped, and his chest placed in a wooded brace to keep him immobile, allowing his sternum and arms to heal. Michael scoffed from where he was sitting, his feet kicked up against the side of Geoff’s house. “It wasn’t a fight, it was a brutal attack and you know it.”

Geoff waved Michael off, “It doesn’t matter now, we just need to get him fixed up,” he rummaged around in the chest by the bed, “I need more of the potions we used when Ryan was hurt….” A glass bottle shattered against the wall, Michael stormed from Geoff’s house the cool metal door slamming shut behind him. 

Gavin blinked up at Geoff, who shook his head in answer, “we’ll find him and we’ll make him pay for what he did to you.” He spooned more water into the younger lad’s mouth, “I swear.”

Michael stormed from Geoff’s house and into Jeremy’s. “He’s out there, we just fucking let him go, and he’s out there…..laughing at us.”

Jeremy remained quiet where he sat fashioning arrows, dipping them cautiously in potions of harming and poison. 

“He almost killed Gavin, he threatened our home.” Michael punched the nearest wall, knocking a map to the ground, “He needs to pay for what he’s done.”

Jeremy rose slowly, hanging his map back up, and placing his hand gently on Michael’s back. “When we find him, we’ll end him….” 

A purple glow began to emanate from Michael, causing Jeremy to take a cautious step back, “I can’t wait….”


	11. Eye of Ender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something seems off with Michael....

Geoff sprinted forward with Michael and Gavin nipping at his heels. Jack remained in place dumbfounded by the sight before him. “What the fuck happened Ray!” Michael attempted to push past him and into Ryan’s house but Ray wouldn’t budge. 

He stared down at the sword, blood beginning to pool just at his feet. “You don’t want to go in there…”

Gavin glanced down at the sword in Ray’s hand, “Ray, you can’t…you can’t have…” a violent retch caused him to stumble away from the group. Jack finally moved, he made his way after the younger lad. 

Geoff stepped closer to Ray, pulling the sword from his shaking hands. “Ray, you should…maybe you should…”

“I see you have completed my final task, you’ve won.” Ryan showed up from out of nowhere. “Congratulations Ray…” The crown appeared on Ray’s head in a soft puff of smoke. 

Ray shivered in revulsion, ripping the offending piece of gold from his head and tossing it on the ground at Ryan’s feet. “I don’t want this…I don’t want any of this.”

Ryan smiled maliciously taking a menacing step forward, “then why did you kill my most loyal servant?” He placed a hand on Ray’s shoulder, “you killed Kerry when he did nothing wrong.”

“That was what you…YOU tasked us with that!” Ray pushed Ryan away hard. He stumbled back a look of shock evident on his face.

“No task had to be completed. Any one of you could have stepped away, allowed the Kingdom to exist without a ruler.” Ryan’s voice rose with every word. 

Geoff and Michael approached cautiously. “Ray, let it go, we need to…” Geoff trailed off.

Michael gripped Ray’s shoulder pulling him away, “we need to take care of Kerry.” 

Ryan smirked, watching Ray begin to fall apart. Ray broke away taking off for the woods. A single rose lay where he stood. 

One Year Later

“You haven’t seen him since he left?” Jeremy stood between Michael and Gavin staring up at his new home. “Are you sure it’s okay I live here?”

“No, we haven’t.” Michael shook his head, “He was a good guy, and some terrible shit happened to him, so he took off.” 

Gavin threw his arm around the shorter man, “Oi, Jeremy, you deserve the house, you’ve brought a lot to Achievement City, and honestly, it just feels right to have you here.”

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Michael trembled with the force of his rage. The glow growing with every beat of his heart. Jeremy called his name quietly, Michael couldn’t hear him over the rush of blood flowing violently through his veins. 

“Michael, what the hell is going on?” 

He began to fade from existence, Jeremy grabbed for him, his fingers passing through his quickly fading abdomen. “MICHAEL!”

He was gone. 

Jeremy stumbled from his house running into Jack. “Woah, what’s going on?” Jack’s brow was drawn in confusion. 

“There’s something going on with Michael,” Jeremy’s chest heaved, “he’s acting like….like an…”

Michael materialized behind Jack, as Jeremy trailed off staring at his friend. Jack turned to see what the younger lad had stopped to look at, “Oh, hey Michael, you okay?” 

“I’m fine, just came to get Jeremy so we could get more supplies in the Nether for Gavin.” 

Jeremy nodded and went back into his house to grab his gear. 

“Let me grab my stuff and I’ll go with you guys,” Jack turned toward his house, “Geoff is set with Gavin here and I’m feeling pretty useless sitting around doing nothing.”

“What about hunting for food, don’t we need to do that?” Michael continued to stare at Jeremy’s house, his eyes narrowed slightly. 

“We have plenty of food, we just need to get supplies for Gavin.” Jack walked across the star, “don’t leave without me, I’ll meet you guys at the portal.”

Jeremy stood back as Jack and Michael stepped into the portal. He took a deep breath and hopped into the portal, he ran directly into Michael’s back, standing over Jack’s prone body. 

“Michael, what the fuck?” 

Michael turned, the soft purple glow Jeremy had seen earlier wrapped itself around his head, chest and arms. Jeremy wrapped his arms around Michael and started to drag him back towards the portal, he pulled him through the portal and deposited him on the ground un-moving, before leaping back through the portal to get Jack. 

“Jack, Jack get up buddy.” Jeremy crouched over Jack’s unconscious form, glancing around cautiously for approaching enemies. “Jack seriously, GET UP!” 

Jack groaned quietly without stirring, Jeremy growled in frustration gripping Jack under his arms and dragging him toward the portal. He pulled them through just as a Ghast shrieked and a flaming fireball flew toward the portal. 

“Welcome back….”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time ever writing a Fanfic. And I would appreciate any and all criticisms!  
> Thank you for reading!


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